Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Clarissa Gtz. reviews Berndnaut Smilde

Another good example of the successful use of perspective are the works of German artist Berndnaut Smilde. The 34 year old artist is interest in physical presence spaces, taking them as his canvas to create a story or an anecdote. According to his website, "This interest also branches out into the possibility of how a given space might be in between states of construction and deconstruction."He would use construction materials, photo prints and interior decoration to create an essence to an specific place. My favorite work from Smilde is his "Kammmerspiele". Made out of cardboard and photomural, the german artist creates a simulation of wall-window-landscape division to a room. Playing with perspective this three dimensional piece gives the viewer a sense of depth and atmospherical perspective. The way he has arranged it is on order to look it from a certain point so whenever you are looking through the window you are able to see as if a beautiful landscape is reflecting from it.

he uses two pieces out of cardboard, placed in a specific order to create this illusion. This is the piece itself from which we are seeing the landscpae.

Nowadays, he is a "boom" in Amsterdam as in USA since his creation of clouds inside a room. Since this project is extremely interesting I would like to quote from an article posted on the Washingtonpost explaining of the whole process.

"Smilde’s godlike powers come from simple science — he carefully regulates the temperature and humidity of the space, ensuring that conditions are perfect. Then, he sprays a short burst from a fog machine to create a cottony cloud suspended in the middle of the room for just an instant before it collapses."